Bayer has announced a very successful year in 2014, both operationally and strategically. Group sales rose by 5.2 percent in 2014, to €42,239 million compared to €40,157 million in 2013.
Sales of the agriculture business (CropScience) increased 7.7 percent in 2014 to €9,494 million. “CropScience gained market share, with all business groups and regions contributing to the subgroup’s pleasing performance,” says management board chairman Marijn Dekkers. The subgroup registered the strongest growth in Latin America/Africa/Middle East, where sales were up by 20.6 percent. Business in North America also expanded by a double-digit percentage (plus 10.2 percent), followed by Europe and Asia/Pacific at 7.4 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively.
“We remain optimistic about the future,” said Dekkers. Bayer is planning sales in the region of €46 billion for 2015. CropScience expects to continue growing faster than the market and to raise sales by a low- to mid-single-digit percentage to approximately €10 billion.